1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to file systems and more particularly relates to analyzing a file system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Data processing systems often include a significant number of servers, mainframe computers, computer workstations, storage devices, and the like. As a result, a data processing system may store a large quantity of data.
The data of a data processing system may be organized in one or more file systems. File systems may contain a plurality of files. The files may be created and/or modified at different times, and have different intrinsic values to an organization.
The cost of storing, archiving, and communicating the data of a data processing system can be reduced if the data is effectively managed. For example, a data processing system may implement one or more information lifecycle management processes to manage data from creation and modification through archiving and deletion.
Files that satisfy a lifecycle management protocol may be processed to more efficiently store the files. For example, a file that satisfies an archival protocol may be migrated to a hierarchical storage management system. The hierarchical storage management system may store the file in one or more storage pools. Each pool may have a distinct latency and cost, so that files that are likely to be accessed may be stored in low-latency, high-cost storage pools while files that are unlikely to be accessed may be stored in high-latency, low-cost storage pools.
Tools may be used for determining whether to process a file. For example, a management tool may look at a last update date of a file to determine whether to migrate the file to a hierarchical storage management system. Unfortunately, it is often advantageous to determine if a file system should be processed, a task for which management tools are not suited.